Counter and register



May 8, 1923` 1,454,614

, H. ALTHAUS ET A| COUNTER AND REGI S TER Filed Sept. 23 1921 A TTORNEYPatented May 8, 1923.

UNITED STATES HEINRICH ALTHAUS AND JOHAN FANGMANN, F DYEBSVILLE, IOWA.

COUNTER AND REGISTER.

Application led September 23, 1921. Serial No. 502,829.

To all 'whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, HEINRICH ALTHAUS, a citizen of United States,residin at Dyersville, county of Dubuque, and tate i of Iowa, and I, JoHAN FANGMANN, a citizen of United States, residing at Dyersville,county of Dubuque, and State of Iowa, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Counters and Registers, of which 1o the followingis a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in counters and registers,particularly to apparatus registering the number of buckets of gasolineor other fluid matter taken from a tank, tank wagon or gasoline truck,etc.

It is the principal object of this invention to provide a device of thischaracter which automatically counts and registers the number of bucketsof a predetermined capacity 2o delivered from a gasoline tank, deliverywagon on the like.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a device of thischaracter which is extremely simple and therefore inexpensive, which caneasily be attached to the delivery nozzles of tank, tank wagons or thelike, and which works automatically with great precision so that nomistake in the number of gallons delivered can be made.

These and other like objects will become more fully apparent as thedescription proceeds and w1ll then be specifically pointed out in theappended claim.

In the accompanying drawing, forming a material part of this disclosure:

Figure 1 is an end view of a device constrlcted according to the presentinvention, an

Figure 2 is a side view thereof partly in section the device being shownin position on the delivery nozzle of a tank, tank wagon or the like.

Figure 3 is a detail view of an operating rod and finger.

The delivery nozzle 10 of a tank, tank wagon or the like for deliveringgasoline or other similar fluids, which is controlled by a valve 11 hasattached thereto a housing or casing 12 by means of bands 13 or anysimilar suitable fastening means.

Within the casing 12 is journaled in the side walls thereof a transverseshaft 14 projecting to the outside of the casing and carrying at itsextreme outer end a crank handle 15 or the like. Within the housing theshaft ca rries a ratchet wheel 16 integrally made wlth which is a disc17 provided on its perlphery with a plurality of successive numerels forinstance as shown, 5, 10, 15, etc., if a bucket having a capacity of 5gallons is used for dispensing such a quantity at one time from a tanketc.

It will be clear that other numerals can be used if the quantity ofgasoline dispensed at one time by a bucket is 1, 2 3 or 4 gallons, etc.

The graduation lines between two numbers corresponding to the straightupper front edge of each ratchet tooth of wheel 16. A leaf spring 18 issecured with one end to the inner face of the end wall of casing 12 andengages with its outer end 19 rolled upon itself the ratchet teeth toprevent a backward rotation of wheel ,16. A guard 20 is provided on topof the casing for protecting the numbered periphery of disc 17 butleaving an inspection opening 21 between it and a lower guard 22provided at the inner end walls of the casing. In juxtaposition to guide22 is arranged in the end wall of the casing, a sliding member 23between the upper forked ends of which a finger 24 is pivotally securedwith its lower reduced end, and a pin 25 transversely arranged betweenthe prongs of the forked end limits the outward movement of said finger.The member 23 has an inner groove 26 below its forks for the receptionof a coiled spring 27, and to its lower end is secured the upper end ofa rod 28, the lower end of which is curved or bent as indicated at 29 toform a straight approximately horizontal part 30 adapted to rest uponthe upper correspondingly formed edge of a nose or projection 31 of thenozzle 10. To the sides of 95 the vertical member 32 of the rod 28'isfastened a yoke 33 through which the nose 31 extends for a fpurposelater to be more fully described, w

lle the rectangularly and downwardly bent lower end 34 of the rod 100 28grips over the outer end edge of the nose 31.

- The nozzle 10 as illustrated in Figure 2 is composed of a horizontalpart and a vertical part which are connected at their inner ends by aT-piece 35 of any ordinary well known construction.

The inner end of the casing 12 is closed by a plate 36 provided with agroove in its inner face in which part of the spring 27 is 110 2tankarranged so that its upper and lower end en. gage the lower and upperend walls of the groove.

The device operates as follows:

Assuming the parts are in the position illustrated in Figure 2 in whicha bucket of 5 gallon capacity is hung over part 30 of rod 28 while itrests on the top ed of nose 31 and filled to its capacit en now the fullbucket is lifted o the nose 31, the spring, relieved of the weight whichcomp it, will expand and lift member 23 so that its finger 24 engaginthe ratchet teeth of wheel 16 will be raise and turn the wheel for onetooth so that instead of number 100 on the disc which was formerlyvisible through the opening 21, number 5 will ap below the o nin toindicate that 5 ga ons of gasoline ave geen taken from the The parts areso selected that the well filled 5 allon bucket 37 will compress thespring 2g and lower the member 23 to such an extent that every upwardmovement of the member 23 and finger 24 will turn the wheel 16 for onetooth. As the iin r 24 allows the rotation of the wheel and isc in one`direction by means of the crank handle 15 it will be possible to returnthe member disc after each filling operation is finished back to No.100.

It will be clear that any number of 5 gallons taken from the tank up to100 wil be registered and no mistake can possibly be made by a miscount,etc., which are frequently the cause of disputes and losses either tobuyer or seller.

While we have illustrated the preferred form of our device in thedrawing we do not wish to limit ourselves to the exact constructionshown, as many changes may be made in the eral arrangement of parte andthe s construction of the minor details wi out deviating from the scopeand spirit of our invention.

What we claim as new and desire to pro-v tect b Letters Patent of theUnited States- A device of the character described comprising a casinadapted to be attached to the topof a lschar nozzle of gasoline tanks,means for securing said casing to said nozzle, rotatin indicating meansin said housing, a ratc et wheel integral with said indicating means, asubstantially vertical rod, a grooved sliding member to which the upperend of said rod is secured, a forked upper end on said member, a fingerpivotall secured between the forks at the upper en of said slidin memberand adapted to engage the teeth o? said ratchet wheel, means forlimiting the movement of said finger in one direction, a coiled springin the roove of said sliding member, a nose on sai nozzle, the lower endof said rod being bent to engage the upper edge of said nose and thefront edge of the same against action of said spring when a bucket ofpredetermined capacity is hung on said nose, a depending yoke throughwhich said nose passes attached to said rod, means for preventing therotation of said ratchet wheel in one direction, the removal of thefilled bucket allowin an expansion of said sprin to o rate sald fingerfor rotating said ratc et w eel, and indicating means to visiblyindicate the number of fluid units discharged from said nozzle.

In testimony whereof we have aflixed our signatures.

HEINRICH ALTHAUS. JOHAN FANGMANN.

